This briefing on Environmental Sustainability was prepared by Luke McQuade while an International Business major in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Introduction

Environmental Sustainability is a growing problem worldwide and if it continues life as we know it will come to a bitter end. Large Corporations that have no concern for the environment and/or a lack of knowledge on the topic are constantly producing harmful emissions into the environment. While many corporations are making an effort into going “green” we have yet to make a significant impact globally.

The Idea in a Nutshell

There are many ways of going green, in which if everyone participated the environment could last much longer than where it’s headed now. Going “green” doesn’t have to be a difficult and expensive process. If the right steps are taken in the right direction to improve the environment, a significant change can take effect and the world can be a cleaner place. This article will show you areas that corporations are polluting the planet and the necessary implementations to combat the growing problem.

The Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Environmental Sustainability

1. Air Pollution

Carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons are the four main greenhouse gases that large corporations are emitting out today. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years. (National Geographic)In the growing effort to provide a solution governments are taking precautions and making a dent in the ongoing problem. One way is through the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline, so that people and companies will have greater incentives to conserve energy and pollute less. (National Geographic)

Our Earth is warming. Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.4°F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5°F over the next hundred years.(EPA.gov) These greenhouse gases will continue to increase unless we as a people make a global effort to decrease these emissions exponentially. If this pollutant path continues we can expect these negative things to happen such as an increase in earth’s temperature, influence the patterns and amounts of precipitation, reduce ice and snow cover, as well as permafrost, raise sea level, and increase the acidity in our oceans.(epa.gov) These negative things are currently building now and if they continue they will have a major impact on every area of our lives as to what we eat, what we drink, what we breathe, and the world around us.